Binding post structure



Sept. 17, 1957 A. M. PICHITINO 2,806,999

BINDING POST STRUCTURE Filed July 19, 1956 W/MMY United States PatentBINDING POST STRUCTURE Albert M. Pichitino, Waseca, Minn., assignor toF. Johnson Company, Waseca, Minn., a corporation Application July 19,1956, Serial No. 598,913

Claims. (Cl. 339-129) This invention relates to binding posts, and moreparticularly to a binding post structure adapted to be mounted upon anelectrical instrument panel.

It is an important object of the invention to provide an improvedbinding post of simplified construction which will be inexpensive tomanufacture and easy to install.

Another object of the invention is to provide a special body portion forinsertion through a panel opening which eliminates the necessity ofextra parts such as sealing washers and furnishes increased efliciencyin the mounting and operation thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide a binding post structurein which the thumb nut is so made and the assembly steps are so arrangedas to captivate the thumb nut without requiring any additional machinesteps, which captivation prevents the thumb nut from being accidentallyor deliberately removed from the stud after the, binding post ismanufactured and assembled.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fullyappear from the following description, made in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to thesame parts throughout the several views and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical section of a typical panel withinwhich is mounted my binding post structure;

Figure 2 is a vertical section of the binding post structure, portionsof the stud member being shown in full line; Figure 3 is an end view ofthe binding post taken in the direction of the arrows 33 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is another vertical section of the binding post taken on theline 44 of Figure 2; and Figure 5 is still another vertical sectiontaken through the body portion of the binding post on the line 55 ofFigure 2.

With continued reference to the drawing, and par- The stud is anelongated member unitarily constructed of conducting metal and having anintermediate portion 13 through which is formed an opening 14 adapted toreceive the terminal end of a connecting wire (not shown). The stud 10further has an enlarged threaded head 15 which is coaxially formed withthe intermediate portion 13 and which is provided with a bore 16 whichmay be utilized as a receptacle for an electrical plug. A bearingshoulder 17 is integrally formed with the enlarged head 15 andinterconnects with the intermediate portion 13. Immediately adjacent theintermediate portion 13 is a reduced shank 18 with a knurled area 19 anda threaded area 20 as shown in Figure 2. The juncture of theintermediate portion 13 and the shank 18 provides a shoulder 21 whichdefines the positioning of the opening 14 when the binding post ismounted in a panel. The extreme terminal end of the conducting stud 10provides an axial soldering means 22, the latter of which may havePatented Sept. 17, 1957 a further reduced axial portion 23 and a head24, as shown. It will be noted that the threaded head 15 is considerablylarger in cross section than the intermediate area 13. The shank portion18 and other parts of the elongated stud member integrally formedoutwardly of the intermediate portion are all of a lesser crosssectional area than that of the intermediate stud portion 13.

The binding post body 11 is constructed of dielectric material such asnylon and comprises, in turn, an enlarged portion such as the annularabutment 25 and integrally formed therewith at a position more remotefrom the opening 14, a threaded reduced and tubular portion 26. Theouter end of the threaded tube 26 terminates at 27 which leaves exposedthe soldering terminal 22, as shown. The innermost portion of theenlarged abutment 25 may be provided with a circular recess 28 intowhich is received a metallic washer 29. The binding post body 11 and thewasher 29 are rigidly secured against the shoulder 21 and in contactwith the knurled area 19, as shown. A nut 30 is drawn up upon thethreaded reduced portion 20 so as to further secure the binding postbody 11 in its mounted relation with stud 10. The binding post body isprovided with longitudinal cut portions 31 which render the threadedportion 26 unsymmetrical and capable of being inserted in an opening 32of the same general configuration in an instrument panel 33, as shown inFigure 1. The binding post body is thus prevented from turning and theclamping nut 34 which is threadedly mounted upon the binding post willhave suflicient contact with the threaded area 26 to firmly mount andhold the binding post body in position, as shown in Figure 1.

Dielectric securing means such as thumb nut 12 is provided with a flutedexterior surface 35 and an internal bore 36 which extends through thecap and is reduced to a smaller axial opening 37 at the inner endthereof. An intermediate shouldered abutment 38 may be formed within thethumb nut 12 so as to interfit with the abutment 17 when the thumb nutis in the position shown in Figure 2. The innermost annular face 39 ofthe thumb nut 12 is adapted to shift inwardly toward the opening 14 andto firmly clamp or bind a conducting terminal 40 when positionedtherein, as shown in Figure 1. An electrical circuit may thus beestablished through the conducting terminal 40 and the stud 10 whilemaintaining metallic parts virtually shielded and covered. The otherconducting lead 41 may be soldered to the soldering terminal 22 orclamped by retaining nut 30 if so desired.

In the assembly of the binding post structure, the elongated metallicstud member is inserted into the axial bore 36 formed in thumb nut 12and the thumb nut is threadedly engaged with the enlarged threaded head15 with the reduced bore or opening 37 closely surrounding theintermediate stud portion 13. Since all of the parts of the elongatedstud 10 between the shoulder 17 and the outer end of the solderingterminal 22 are of a lesser diameter than that of the reduced bore 37,it becomes possible to captivate the thumb nut during the assembly ofthe binding post structure. It will be observed that turning the thumbnut 12 so as to retract the annular face 39 from the opening 14 willfinally cause the abutment 38 and forward portion at the reduced bore 37to come in contact with the enlarged head portion 15 and bindthereagainst. This method of captivation obviates a machine operationwhich would provide an abutment associated with the outer ends of thestud and thumb nut as is commonly done in the art. When the thumb nut 12is advanced toward the opening 14, the threaded head 15 remains shieldedby the dielectric thumb nut 12 even in its most advanced position. Sincethe thumb nut has an open-ended bore 36, access is retained to thereceptacle bore 16 formed within the enlarged head 15 at all times.

After the thumb nut 12 has been mounted upon the stud 10, the metallicwasher or ring 29 is positioned against the shoulder 21 and the entireunitary binding post body is forced over the knurled area 19 until itfirmly contacts the washer 29 and abutment 21. The retaining nut 30 maythen be drawn up tightly on the threaded area 20 to contact the end 27cf the binding post body and thereby rigidly hold the body in mountedrelation with the stud members. When utilized in a panel structure, theopening 32 is formed so as to assume the shape of the cut-away threadedarea of the body, as shown in Figure 5. The clamping nut 34 is thensecured in place and the entire stud and binding post body members arefirmly and rigidly retained against rotation in panel 33. Thumb nut 12may be advanced and retracted without danger of removing the thumb nutfrom the stud. As previously pointed out, when a conductor terminal 41'}is placed in the opening 14, the thumb nut may be drawn up tightlythereagainst and will shield the metallic parts. Since the enlarged head25 of the binding post body is also constructed of dielectric materialand the metallic washer 29 is countersunk therein, there is very littleopportunity for accidentally coming into contact with a wire of highvoltage which may be secured to the binding post. Because the entirebinding post body is unitary and constructed of dielectric material, itis possible to mount the binding post on metallic panels 33 whilemaintaining the conducting stud out of electrical contact therewith. Thefeatures and benefits of my binding post structure are obtained whilesimplifying the construction and assemblage thereof.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made inthe form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts withoutdeparting from the scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

l. A binding post structure adapted to be mounted in an opening througha panel comprising, an elongated electrically conductive stud having aconnector opening laterally disposed therethrough at a positionintermediate the ends thereof, a binding post body constructed ofdielectric material secured about said stud conductor intermediate saidconnector opening and one end thereof, said binding post body having anenlarged portion adjacent said opening and more remotely therefrom areduced portion adapted to extend through a panel opening, a clampingelement mounted on said binding post body and adapted to oppose theenlarged portion in compressing the walls of a panel when mountedthereon, and dielectric means mounted on said stud intermediate theconnector opening and the other end thereof and being shiftable on saidstud toward the connector opening for securing a connector terminaltherein.

2. A binding post structure adapted to be mounted in an opening througha panel comprising, an elongated electrically conductive stud having aconnector opening laterally disposed therethrough at a positionintermediate the ends thereof, a binding post body constructed ofdielectric material secured about said stud conductor intermediate saidconnector opening and one end thereof, said binding post body having anannular shouldered abutment adjacent said opening and a threaded reducedportion integrally formed therewith extending away from said opening andadapted to be inserted in a panel opening, a clamping nut threadablymounted on said reduced body portion and adapted to be drawn up incompressing relation with the walls of a panel when mounted thereon, anddielectric means mounted on said stud intermediate the connector openingand the other end thereof and being shiftable on said stud toward theconnector opening for securing a connector terminal therein.

3. The subject matter set forth in claim 2, wherein the threaded reducedportion of the dielectric body is longitudinally cut away in part forkeying said body in a panel when mounted therein and thereby preventingrotation of the post in mounted condition.

4. A binding post structure adapted to be mounted in an opening througha panel comprising, an elongated electrically conductive stud having aconnector opening laterally disposed therethrough at a positionintermediate the ends thereof, said stud further having an enlarged headat one end and a reduced terminal at the other end thereof, a bindingpost body constructed of dielectric material secured about said studconductor intermediate said connector opening and the terminal endthereof, said binding post body having an enlarged portion adjacent saidopening and more remotely therefrom a reduced portion adapted to extendthrough a panel opening, a clamping element mounted on said binding postbody and adapted to oppose the enlarged portion in compressing the Wallsof a panel when mounted thereon, and dielectric means mounted on theenlarged head of said stud and in shielding relation thereover, saiddielectric means being shiftable on said stud toward the connectoropening for securing a connector terminal therein.

5. A binding post structure adapted to be mounted in an opening througha panel comprising, an elongated electrically conductive stud having aconnector opening laterally disposed therethrough at a positionintermediate the ends thereof and further having an enlarged threadedhead at one end and a reduced terminal at the other end, a binding postbody constructed of dielectric material secured about said studintermediate said connector opening and the terminal end thereof andhaving an enlarged end adapted to seal marginally about an openingthrough a panel, a clamping element mounted on said binding post bodyand adapted to oppose the enlarged portion in compressing relation whenmounted on the wall of a panel, and a threaded dielectric thumb nuthaving an axial opening reduced at one end thereof, said reduced endopening being larger than the cross section of both said terminal andsaid intermediate portion of the stud but smaller than said enlargedthreaded head whereby the thumb nut may be mounted on the stud over theterminal and intermediate portion and threadably engaged with the studhead in captivated condition prior to the mounting of the winding postbody upon the stud conductor.

Flanagan Jan. 18, 1955 Johnson Mar. 15, 1955

